Published: 1 October 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
GILLIAN KLAWANSKY: A lack of faith in their country’s future and less red tape than for other destinations has created a huge spike in arrivals at Ben-Gurion
ASK THE AVERAGE South African Jew where they’d go should they need to quickly leave the country and they’ll likely say Israel. While many countries require lengthy, complicated and sometimes exclusionary visa processes, especially for South Africans, Israel has long been seen as a welcoming safety net for Jews throughout the diaspora. Of late, South African Jews are increasingly jumping into its embrace.
August saw the highest number of South African olim (immigrants) arriving in Israel in a single month since 1977. This is according to Telfed – the South African Zionist Federation in Israel – which is struggling to keep up with the influx.
Indeed, by the end of 2021, it’s projected that more than 500 South Africans will have made aliyah. As a recent Haaretz article points out, that’s the largest number in any one year since the end of apartheid.
“It’s both push and pull,” says Liat Amar Arran, Jewish Agency Representative and Director of the Israel Centre, South Africa, reflecting on the reasons for the ever-increasing South African aliyah figures. “People are feeling that they or perhaps their kids have no future in South Africa – there are not enough options for them.”
This was the main motivation for Alan and Cachita Ferreira and their two sons, who left Johannesburg in April and now live in Ra’anana, 20km north of Tel Aviv. “The crime, corruption and future for our two children as white male South Africans all influenced our decision,” Cachita says.
“Our decision was 100 per cent made with our children in mind. We needed to give them a better childhood and a better future with equal opportunities.”
The crime, corruption and future for our two children as white male South Africans all influenced our decision.
